I Am Opal
by Iamboria
Summary: The story of Opal, showing how she came to be, and what it is like for her now. Pearlmethyst. Sort of an AU. Made for Pearlmethyst Bomb Day 3 (Fusion)
1. Beginnings

**A/N: Hey guys, Iamboria here. This is my submission for Day 3 of the Pearlmethyst bomb, for which the prompt was fusion. I'll be posting this all at once, so I'll only leave comments at the beginning and the end. I'm not sure how happy I am with this, but at least I finished it. Anyway, I hope you like it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Steven Universe or any of its characters.**

* * *

I am Opal, a bond formed in an era long passed.

I remember the first time I was myself. The Great Gem War was nearing its end. Homeworld forces were weakening, and some were beginning to retreat. On a short scouting mission, a young gem named Pearl had found a lone gem on the outskirts of a kindergarten. These gems were generally simple Quartz forces, and were killed instantly upon their discovery. However, something was ...different about this gem. Maybe it was the distinct purple of her slightly cracked gem, or the abandoned look in her eyes. Whatever the case, she picked up the uncharacteristically small gem, and ran faster than her legs had ever carried her. At first, the young gem was thoroughly confused and frightened, not knowing what was to become of her. But the look in the older gems' eyes made her feel safe, secure, at peace. The elder gem must have felt the same way, as in an instant they transformed into light.

In my first few moments, I didn't even notice a difference. I kept running towards the warp pad that Pearl knew would lead to the camp…

"Wait? What camp? Where am I going? Who am I?" I looked down at my hands, blinking… but instead of two pale arms or two violet arms, I found four lilac ones.

I immediately fell apart.

Back in those times, it was incredibly rare to be able to fuse. It was seen as taboo by Homeworld forces, and some of the strongest rebels could never even attempt the act. A common legend passed down through the rebel armies said that if two gems could fuse, they were fated to be together for the rest of their days.

In Pearl's 4000 years of life, she had only witnessed two gems with the ability to fuse; Ruby and Sapphire. They were powerful elemental gems that defected from Homeworld royalty when they were punished for fusing. Together they formed Garnet, who was renowned by gems on both sides for her intelligence and sheer power. It was rumoured that she once took on a Diamond and single handedly cracked the gem beyond repair. She was a gem you didn't mess with.

But Pearl was nowhere near as powerful as either of those gems. She was simply a discarded defect from a servant assembly line. Hell, she couldn't even summon a gem weapon more powerful than a simple spear. And she hadn't even known the purple gem for more than a few minutes. Was it even… possible?

"What… what was that?" the young gem asked.

"I- I don't know. We're going to find out, though." Pearl picked up the young gem and hurried to the warp pad. She knew there was only one place she could go to figure out what happened.

* * *

Mere minutes later, the two arrived in the chambers of Rose Quartz, the leader of the Rebel Forces.

"Greetings, soldier" the gem bowed with her sword, a common custom in those days. "What do you need? And who is this peculiar gem you've brought?"

The two looked at each other, and I felt myself being brought together again.

After a short moment of black, I awoke to find Rose Quartz staring in awe, her sword collapsing onto the floor.

"No… there's no…" she stuttered, jaw practically on the floor. "Bismuth, get Garnet. Immediately."

The gem rushed off to a nearby tent, and was back within moments with the legendary fusion.

"What's the… Wait, who is this?" she questioned.

"That's what I called you here for" she began "I think she may be a… fusion."

"What? Prove it. Show me yourselves."

I unfused and refused at Garnet's request. She was in such a state of shock, I had to do it several times before she could believe what she saw.

"Wow, you really are a fusion." she murmured, barely loud enough for me to hear. "And you fuse like you've been doing it for centuries... What is your name?"

"Well, the small one is Amethyst, and the tall one is Pear-"

"No," she chuckled "What is _your_ name?"

"I-I'm not sure..."

"You're... not sure? Tell me, when's the first time you fused?"

"Earlier today..."

"But that's... no, you're too close for that, unless..." Garnet stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

"... the vision. Of course..."

"W-what?"

Garnet snapped back into reality. "Oh, it's nothing you need to be concerned with. And about your name... I've never seen a gem like you before. I feel you could create a name that suits you."

"But how would I do that?"

"Think really hard about who you are. The name will reveal itself."

I lost myself in thought for a minute. If I was going to give myself a name, it was going to be good.

 _Tanzanite? No, too casual._

 _Iolite? No, too pretentious._

"Opal." I affirmed. "My name is Opal."


	2. A Conflict of Interest

I am Opal, a gem with a long, complicated past.

After the night I chose my name, I spent a lot of time with Garnet. She helped me find out what my weapon was and how to use it. She helped me discover the ins and outs of... well, me. I am forever grateful for her help and guidance. Without her help, I'm not sure I would have been able to stay together as long as I did.

The war was still going on, though, so occasionally we would have to leave the comforts of our camp behind to fight. I watched many gems die during that war… Amethyst was so young, she doesn't even remember she was there. Even though many forces were retreating, some of the Homeworld factions were still fighting, strong as ever. So many gems were shattered, we stopped collecting the shards.

There was one day, however, that the war appeared to be over. All of the Homeworld forces had retreated, and many gems wanted to bury the gem shards of their fallen comrades. They went to an underground passage all at once to mourn the fallen and lay them to rest. Garnet, however, had a bad feeling about the area. Only Rose and I listened, and we went to take down the remains of our camp.

None of those gems ever returned.

* * *

We decided to construct a temple to live in; if we were going to stay here for the rest of our days, we were going to make it comfortable. Although Garnet and I insisted our counterparts didn't need separate rooms, Rose built them anyway, saying we might need some space once in a while.

I'm glad we listened to her, because she was most certainly right.

As the years passed, Amethyst and Pearl matured. Although I rarely unfused, I could tell that the bond between them was something more than it used to be. When I did unfuse, there would be tender kisses and silent promises made between them. It felt less like a bond of simple trust, and more like a bond of love.

The only problem with that kind of bond is that it is prone to jealousy.

For the first few millennia, everything was fine. We would occasionally find a corrupted gem, and bubble it to save the humans from its wrath. But as time went on, Rose Quartz fell in love with many of these humans.

Pearl had always had a liking for their leader, but her bond with Amethyst was stronger. However, when Rose started seeing these humans, Pearl became quite jealous. I started to unfuse more and more often, and I would stay unfused for longer periods of time. Amethyst could see that Pearl was gaining an interest in Rose, and would act out to try and gain Pearl's attention. Of course, this only made Pearl annoyed. This trend continued, and eventually the two would only fuse when absolutely necessary. I was only myself for short periods of time, and it felt… different. I couldn't be myself because my counterparts were jealous. I did what I had to do and then split apart. It was not fun, and I could feel the tension building. However, there was nothing I could do. I felt helpless.

Flash forward to 1987. Rose had met another human. This one was a musician who went by the name of Greg Universe. By this point, Pearl was head over heels for Rose, but she seemed to be oblivious to it. Pearl treated this human as just another phase, but as the months and years went by, she realized that this was much more serious than any of Rose's other relationships. She feared the worst, and turned to Amethyst for support.

Meanwhile, Amethyst acted so childish, she took the look of a child in her form. Rose was like a mother to her, and thought of losing her made her act out more and more. She just wanted to get her attention, but all of her attention was on Greg. Many nights, she would stay locked in Pearl's embrace, listening to her ramblings and seeing the tears that made her heart break.

They would sometimes fuse in these moments, and all I could feel was sadness. I've never felt so alone as in those moments where the combined emotions of Amethyst and Pearl made me break. I would sit alone in a corner, sobbing until dawn. Sometimes Garnet would pass by, but she couldn't help. She knew no matter what she did, it wouldn't end my pain.

Instead, she put on a stoic expression, and kept walking.

* * *

The last time I remember being fused before Rose's death was when Steven was about to be born. Rose was giving us her final instructions.

"...and Opal, thank you for your understanding. I know this experience has been hard for you, but you managed to pull through, for all of us. I am forever grateful."

I told myself that I would stay together during this, but Rose was making it quite difficult.

"To both of you, the child's name shall be Steven." she declared. "Please, take care of him…"

As her body dissolved into light, I tried my best to stay together. I needed the support of my form to keep me from completely breaking down.

 _I can handle this. I am Opal, and I am strong._

As soon as I saw Steven, I fell apart, and Pearl ran off into the distance.

I wasn't myself again for 12 years.


	3. Reconciliation

I am Opal, a bond reborn.

It took nearly two weeks for Pearl to return. When she did, she couldn't even look at Steven without breaking down and running off again. This continued until he was nearly 3 years old.

She then decided that it was her duty to be a "super mom". She got Greg to build a human house around the temple so Steven could live more like a normal human. She cleaned and cooked compulsively to take her mind off her heartbreak. She felt like it gave her something she could control.

Amethyst on the other hand coped by hoarding, eating, and generally making a mess. Of course, this didn't sit well with Pearl. They quarreled and bickered constantly, and only Garnet could calm them down. They took their anger out on each other, causing quite a strain on their relationship.

It wasn't until one day, when they went on one their first missions with Steven, that I saw the light of day again.

Earlier that day, Pearl and Amethyst had been arguing about why they didn't form Opal. When Steven asked what Opal was, the two explained to him what fusion was. The trio then went on a mission to find the heaven beetle. Amethyst and Pearl did their best to ruin the others fun, but Steven kept the peace. When they got trapped near the temple, they tried to form Opal, but they weren't the same in body and mind. I can't be formed out of annoyance, so they fell apart. However, when Steven was eaten by a gem creature, I fused almost instantly. I saved him (and his goat) from the creature. He seemed to be in awe of my form.

"Do you... know who I am?" he asked shyly.

I chuckled. Pearl and Amethyst didn't explain how a fusion's memory worked. Of course he would worry that I had no recollection of him.

"All you wanna do, is see me turn into..."

"A giant woman!"

We made a speedy return to the temple. It felt so blissful, being myself again. Steven asked me many questions, and I did my best to answer them all. When we got back, Garnet was waiting.

"The heaven beetle."

I fell into a state of panic. I totally forgot about the beetle!

"I don't have it!" I could feel myself being torn apart again. Amethyst and Pearl were back, and they blamed each other for forgetting the beetle. As it turned out, Steven had the beetle the whole time. Amethyst and Pearl then knew they were both at fault, but neither would admit it. They had a long way to go, but this was the first step towards facing their problems.

* * *

A few months later, Amethyst decided to run away with Steven. While Steven wanted to leave to experience what he read about in books, Amethyst had other motives. She wanted to go back to the kindergarten, mostly for nostalgia. However this quickly turned sour when Pearl appeared.

"Garnet said you'd be here, but I didn't want to believe it. Amethyst, what were you thinking bringing Steven to a kindergarten!?"

"I don't know. We were in the neighborhood." Amethyst retorted.

This bickering continued until Amethyst revealed to Steven that gems were grown at this site.

"Amethyst, he's not ready!" Pearl insisted

"Oh, but don't worry, Steven. Everything's just fine now." Amethyst's tone was heavy with sarcasm.

"Amethyst..."

"It all worked out. We won!"

"Stop."

"And we shut this place down so the Earth would be safe from parasites like me!"

The two began to fight violently, much to Steven's dismay. When he tried to separate the two, Amethyst cast him off to the side.

"Amethyst, stop this. You can't beat me!"

"I don't CARE!" Amethyst's attacks became more reckless, and she latched onto Pearl's spear with two of her whips.

"I'm not gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I HATE ABOUT MYSELF!" Amethyst sent a powerful attack through her whips, causing Pearl to fly back and fall to the ground.

"I never asked for it to be this way. I never asked to be made!" Amethyst had tears running down her face.

At this point, Steven finally intercepted their fight. However, an old injector they broke during the fight began to fall. Steven protected Pearl in his bubble, while Amethyst ran away.

When Steven found her among the rubble, he made Pearl talk with Amethyst.

"Amethyst, I had no idea you've been upset about this." Pearl began softly.

"WHAT?! You had no idea!?" Amethyst was full of rage "This is, like, my entire existence! You want to pretend that none of this ever happened! You think I'm just a big mistake!"

Pearl gasped. "No, no, Amethyst, you're not the mistake. You're just the by-product of a... big mistake."

Amethyst glared at her, as if asking her if that was what she was sticking with.

"No, that's not- I... I just never thought of this as you. None of this is your fault. You didn't build this place. I-I'm sorry, Amethyst." Pearl conceded.

"I hope you can forgive me. You're the one good thing that came out of this mess. I always thought you were proud of that."

Pearl extended her hand, expecting Amethyst to take it. She led the smaller gem out of the hole. At first, Amethyst wouldn't even look at Pearl, but she suddenly pulled her into a crushing embrace. Pearl was initially shocked, but soon returned the hug. She forgot how great it felt to be in her arms, safe and secure. They warped back to the temple, hand in hand.

* * *

That night, Steven decided to go with Greg, and Garnet went off on a mission. Pearl was about to go back to her room in the temple, when Amethyst called to her.

"Um, P?"

"Yes, Amethyst?"

"Can you, uh, stay here? With me?"

"Sure." she replied, a slight smile appearing.

The two snuggled up on the couch in the living room like they did during old times. It was quiet for a while, until Amethyst broke the silence.

"Do you remember how it used to be, Pearl?" she began, "Back before Rose…" she stuttered on the word _passed_. It was still hard for any of the gems to bring up her death.

"Well, I do…" Pearl began, thinking of her past memories. "I remember how close we were. I remember how we would spend long days by the shoreline, and warm nights dancing with the humans."

Amethyst began to chuckle. "Remember that one time we fused at a dance? All the humans were _freaking out_. It was hilarious!"

"Yeah…" she trailed off. Amethyst had just reminded her of Opal. She forgot how great it was to be fused with her. Normally, she felt alone, but Opal made her feel strong, confident and independent.

Likewise, Amethyst thought about Opal. She remembered how it felt to be powerful, and smart, and… whole. She felt stronger with her, and not in the way she felt with Sugilite. She felt strong, in the real way.

"Pearl, do you think we could maybe form Opal again? For old times' sake?"

"I don't see why not…" she muttered shyly.

Soon, Amethyst came in for a kiss. It was soft and slow, much gentler than Pearl had expected. The two felt their bodies drawing together into light, and I appeared slowly.

The feeling, the sensation of truly being me again was overwhelming. I ran out to the beach, and started dancing in the sand. In that moment, as the night faded away, I found who I truly was.

I am Opal, whose life is a dance, delicate and graceful and beautiful.

I am Opal, the wind that blows on cool nights, wild and free.

I am Opal, the passion that burns with the intensity of a thousand stars.

I am Opal, the longing that is shared between two souls that holds them together.

I am Opal, the silent promise that is made as I split into light that I will soon be together forever.

I am Opal when I confront Garnet and Steven, telling them that they won't see much of Pearl and Amethyst anymore.

I am Opal when I comfort the young boy, saying that he not losing anything, but gaining something bigger.

I am Opal when I see Garnet's small smile, and she tells me that she predicted this the moment she first saw me.

I am Opal when I feel my soul, two connected gems, forever happy to be together.

I am Opal when the night ends, and the sun clips over the horizon, signifying a new start to my life.

I am Opal, and I am here to stay.

* * *

 **A/N: So that's the end of this fic. I always appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave a review. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day!**

 **\- Iamboria**


End file.
